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Anna Jones, who is the co-owner of AND.hair, a hair salon in the street, said: "It is a complete waste of money that someone can't do their research first to find out how trees can live in the pots or which types of tree can live in the pots.

Three cherry trees were taken away from a street in Hockley

"I am just devastated that the trees have gone. The money would be better spent on parks, schools or old people's homes."

She added she will be happy when the trees are replanted "as long as research is done so they last" - and she would be happy to water the trees with other shop workers to care for them.

Andy Marsden, a customer assistant at GEE DEE Models next door, said: "I would rather see proper planted trees outside like you get on some of the other streets."

He added some of the plant pots had been hit "several times" by cars on the road.

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Rosiea Poynter, 31, lives in Sherwood and was enjoying a drink in the street earlier this afternoon.

Ms Poynter, who is the owner of The Bakehouse cafe in Mansfield Road, said: "I think they [the pots] really need to have plants in them. We need greenery in the city.

"One of the problems is people can attempt to put nice things up but you can guarantee it [the plant pots] will be used as a space for cigarette butts."

A 27-year-old man shopping in the street, who would only give his name as Andrei, who lives in Canning Circus, added: "This area is quite nice and the trees should stay.

"The council should remove the pots and put the trees in a green area. If they removed the trees from the pavement and planted them normally, it would be more efficient."

Courtney Crossland, 20, who lives in Sheffield and is a student at the University of Derby, said: "They take up parking spaces. If they were pretty they would look quite nice. They are just empty pots."

Dan Hay, a 60-year-old service engineer from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, added: "It would be better with trees in pots. I think they brighten things up in an otherwise plain city street."

A city council spokesman said: "We have removed three dead cherry trees in Hockley, this is the second time we have had to remove them. They will be replaced with pear trees, which are doing much better in the pots in that area of the city.”